Farm-gate.



W. A; ASTE.

FARM GATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27,1907.

RS co ASHINGTON, :14 c.

PATENTED MAY 12, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Svwcutoz WILLIAM A. ASTE, OF SOUTH LEBANON, OHIO.

FARM-GATE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1908.

Application filed May 27, 1907. Serial No. 375,803.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. As'rn, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Lebanon, in the county of Warren and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Farm-Gates; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to makeand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in farm gates.

The object of the invention is to provide means for opening and closing a gate from a distant point and when approaching the gate from opposite directions.

A further object of the invention is to provide gate-operating mechanism which is adapted to operate either on a straight or curved road, and in the operations of which there is no liability of the operating mechanism or the gate being impeded when on the dead center.

A further object of the invention is to provide a gate-actuating mechanism that may be conveniently applied to gates already in operation and which does not necessitate the construction of an entirely new gate to render such means available.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for operating the latch automatically when the gate is swung either to its closed position or to the limit of its open position.

Preceding a more detailed description of my invention, reference is made to the ac companying drawings, of which Figure 1, is a top plan viewof my improved farm gate and operating mechanism. Fig. 2, is an elevation of Fig. 1 showing the end of the gate opposite the hinges. Fig. 3, is a front elevation of the gate and adjacent operating mechanism. Fig. 4, is a view similar to Fig. 3 with some slight modification in the gate latch. F'g. 5, is an end view of Fig. 4. Fig. 6, is an enlarged detail of a portion of the gate shown in Fig. 1.

In a detail description of the invention, similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts.

1 designates ,the gate post to which the gate 2 is hinged at 3, and 4 designates the catch or keeper post to which the latch 5 is rigidly connected. Engaging or adapted to engage the catch or keeper 5 when the gate is closed as in Fig. 1, is a bolt 6 which is pivotally connected at its inner end to a lever 7, the latter being pivoted mid-way of its length at 8 to one of the horizontal bars of the gate. The bolt 6 so connected is slidingly supported on one of the lower horizontal bars 9 of the gate.

10 is an upper bolt pivoted at its inner end to the upper portion of the lever 7, and resting upon a pin 11 on the end upright 12 of the gate. This upper bolt 10 is adapted to lock with a catch or keeper 13 secured to a post 14 when the gate is swung open in a manner presently described. Pivotally connected to the lever 7 above the connection of the bolt 6 is a sliding bar 15 which is guided in the gate and connected to it is a rod 16 which is rigid throughout its length, said connection being at 17.

On a side of the gate are pivotally mounted at their lower ends two upright levers 18 which are held normally in parallel positions as shown in Figs. 3 and 6 by a spring 19. These levers 18 have a distance piece in the form of a block 20 located on one of the horizontal bars 9 of the gate and serving to prevent the spring 19 from exerting unnecessary draft upon said leverssee Fig. 6. On the same side of the gate upon which these levers 18 are located, the sliding bar 15 which operates the lever 7 is. provided with two pins 21, which are engaged by one or the other of the levers 18 and are thus caused to return the bolts 6 and 10 to their normal position after the gate has been moved to its extreme open position at which time the bolt 10 engages the catch or keeper 13, or to the closed osition, at which time the bolt 6 engages the atch 5. The gate is thus moved to either position through a crank 22, the upper arm 23 of which is loosely connected to the rod 16 which as before stated, essentially rigid throughout its length operates the sliding bar 15, and the lower end 24 of said double crank 22 is loosely connected to a link 25. The

outer end of the link 25 is connected to the lower arm 26 of a crank 27, the latter crank being loosely mounted to turn u on a post 28 said posts being located on a si e of the road adjacent to the post 1 to which the gate is hinged.

To the upper end of the crank 27 is mounted rigidly a cross head 29 which is held in position by the upper end of the post 28. Suitably connected to the ends of said cross head are operating ropes or cables 30 and 31 which extend a suitable distance on each side of the gate and are supported on posts 32 and 33 by passing through pulleys 34 attached to said posts. The ends of said ropes or cables hang downwardly at said posts and are attached to weights 35 which form handles by which the cross head is operated. The weights 35 are of suflicient gravity to maintain the ropes or cables taut. The gate is operated by drawing on either end of either of the ropes or cables.

As seen in Fig. 2, the gate is closed, the latch 5 being engaged by the bolt 6. By

.drawing on the right hand end of cable 31 or the lefthand end of cable 30 as shown in Fig. 1, the cross head 29 is reversed from its posi tion as shown in Fig. 1, and in thus moving said cross head, the link 25 is actuated first to slide the bolt 6 and then to open the gate and to cause the latch 10 to engage the latch 13. From this position the gate is closed by pulling on the left hand end of the cable 31 or the right hand end of cable 30, the u per bolt 10 being first disengaged from the atch 13. At the limit of either operation, the spring 19 draws the levers 18 to their upright positions as in'Fig. 6, and therewith the sliding bar 15 and the bolts 6 and 10. In Fig. 4, one of the bolts or rather both of the bolts 6 and 10 are eliminated and a single bolt 36 is employed which is adapted to lock with one or the other of the latches 5 or 13. When the single bolt 36 is employed, the latches 5 and 13 are pivotally attached with the notches therem lying downwardly. When the said latches are thus pivotally attached they are supported upon a pin or block 37 and are prevented from rising abnormally by a pin 38. The bolt 36 in this adaptation of the device is attached directly to the operating rod 16 and slidingly rests upon one of the horizontal bars 9 of the gate. The bolt 36 operates substantially the same as the sliding bar 16 of Fig. 3, and the upright levers 18 mg rod connected with the double crank, a

horizontal sliding bolt mounted in guides upon the gate and connected to said rod, a catch post, a latch pivoted to the catch post, and interlocking with the sliding bolt when the latter is in its extended position.

2. In a farm gate, a gate, a crank adjacent to the hinged end of said gate, a post upon which said crank is supported, a cross head on said crank, ropes extending in opposite directions from the ends of said cross head; a

double crank mounted upon the gate, a link connecting said double crank with the crank upon which the cross head is supported, a rod connected to said double crank, a horizontal slidable bolt having pins thereon and mounted in guides upon the gate, pivotal latches adapted to engage said bolt when the gate is in its extreme open or closed positions, catch posts u on which said latches are supported, upright evers pivoted to the gate and engaging the pins on the sliding bolt, and means for maintaining said upright levers normally in contact with said pins, and whereby means are provided for causin a return of the sliding bolt to its norma position when the gate is moved to either of its extreme positions.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

' WILLIAM A. ASTE. I/Vitnesses:

CAROLYN M. THEOBALD, JOHN W. KALBFUS. 

